Shloka 363

Vṛddha-kanyā-carita and Balarāma’s Kurukṣetra Inquiry (वृद्धकन्या-चरितम् / कुरुक्षेत्रफल-प्रश्नः)

Devanagari script

अनावृष्टिरनुप्राप्ता राजन्‌ द्वादशवार्षिकी । राजन! तदनन्तर सुदीर्घ काल व्यतीत होनेपर जगत्‌में बारह वर्षोतक स्थिर रहनेवाली अत्यन्त भयंकर अनावृष्टि प्राप्त हुई

Transliteration

anāvṛṣṭir anuprāptā rājan dvādaśavārṣikī |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “O King, after a long passage of time, a dreadful drought set in—one that persisted throughout the world for twelve years.”

Word by Word

• अनावृष्टिः: drought; absence of rain
• अनावृष्टिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनावृष्टि
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• अनुप्राप्ता: having arrived; having come upon
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु-प्राप्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular, क्त (past passive participle)

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• द्वादशवार्षिकी: lasting twelve years
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वादश-वार्षिक
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• rājan (the king addressed—Janamejaya in the broader frame)
• jagat (the world)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how prolonged collective suffering—here, a twelve-year drought—tests social and royal dharma: rulers and communities are ethically challenged to respond with responsibility, restraint, and protection of life amid scarcity.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana continues the narration to the king, describing that after a long interval a terrifying drought arose and endured for twelve years across the world, setting the stage for hardship and its consequences.